antivenin

A serum that contains antitoxin specific for an animal or insect venom. Antivenin is prepared from the sera of immunized animals.

Patient care

Antivenins are foreign proteins that often induce allergic reactions in patients who receive them. The likelihood of allergic reactions is reduced by prior administration of epinephrine.

black widow spider antivenin

Antitoxic serum obtained from horses immunized against the venom of the black widow spider (Latrodectus mactans) and used specifically to treat bites of the black widow spider. The serum is available from Merck Co., Inc., West Point, PA 19486.

(Crotalidae) polyvalent antivenin

Anti-snakebite serum obtained from serum of horses immunized against venom of four types of pit vipers of the family Crotalidae: Crotalus atrox, C. adamanteus, C. terrificus, and Bothrops atrox .

antivenene

An ANTISERUM containing specific antibodies to the venom of poisonous snakes, scorpions or spiders.

antivenin, antivenene

a material used to neutralize the venom of a poisonous animal. Prepared by immunization of serum-producing animals, usually horses. Antivenins against the venoms of most poisonous snakes, spiders and stinging fish and other aquatic species are available, but only in those areas in which the poisonous species occurs.

Ampoules of antivenene do not come cheap, they have a limited shelf life, and they are not in constant demand.

The real tragedy, however, is that in these days of economic rationalism it appears that human life, like an ampoule of antivenene, has its own use-by date.

The latter could also be used in solid form--'Condy's crystals'--which remained a popular, albeit, useless remedy long after antivenenes had become widely available.

Although highly traumatic, they were probably more effective treatments than those offered by the medical fraternity before the development of specific antivenenes.

From this time it became clear that specific antivenenes would be required to counteract the bites from different species, with Martin also revealing that intravenous use was the only effective way the treatment could work.

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